Monday, December 9, 2013

THE CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

It is beginning to feel a lot more like Christmas!Yesterday, our family took part in two of our annual Christmas traditions. Dinner with Kristine's godmother and Shallaway's Christmas Concert.The dinner at Terry & Wayne's has been a Christmas Eve tradition for 15 years. We bundle up the kids and drive out to Paradise every Christmas Eve for Christmas cheer, lots of laughs and Terry's Moon Cake.The boys have tracked Santa through VOCM and NORAD every year of their lives on the ride home. This year we lost Wayne to the scourge of Cancer. He wanted the tradition to continue. It was a littler earlier this year. God bless Terry for having us all in before she takes off to spend her holidays with her children and grandchildren in Alberta.

From there we headed to Gower Street United for the annual Shallaway Christmas extravaganza. Two of my guys, Aidan & Conor have taken part in the glittering
spectacle of candlelit processions, traditional music of the season and
audience participation for the past seven years.This year's guest reader was well known
Newfoundland writer Bernice Morgan. She read her original story about her childhood (and Christmas) in pre-confederation Newfoundland and Labrador.

Unlike other years, I did not join the fathers, uncles and
grand-fathers who sang "Welsh Lullaby" with the entire choir. I regretted it. Please god I will make practice and participation a priority next year.Kris, Nanny Moe and I were perched way atop the upper balcony. What a vista to behold the magnificence and sounds of the production.I have been humming and listening to Christmas songs ever since.Up next, Christmas decorations.